Dipping-machine.



N6. 872,863 PATBNTED DEC. 3, 1907. W. M. TULLEY.

DIPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AP3. 29.1901.

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No. 872,868. j PATENTED DEC. 3, 1907. W. M. TULLEY.

DIPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 29,1907.

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Wm TZZZey No. 872,863. I, PATENTED DEC. 3, 1907. W. M. TULLEY.

DIPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR.29,1907.

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WWM W'M/LM 1 No. 872,863. PATENTED DEC. 3, 1907.

- W. M. TULLBY.

DIPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29,1907.

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. PATENTED DEC. 3, 190,?

W. M..TULLEY.

DIPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.29,1907.

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No. 872,863. PATENTED DEC. 8, 1907.

W. M. TULLEY.

DIPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29,1907.

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' and use the same.

. WILLIAM M. TULLEY, OF MARION, INDIANA.

DIPPING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

Application med April 29. 1907. Serial No. 370,932.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. TUL- LEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Marion, in the county of Grant and 5 State of Indiana, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Dipping-Machines; and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make This inventionrelates to dipping machines, which maybe employed to dip articles, such as machine elements, castings,articles of furniture and the like in a bath of paint and then dischargethe painted articles, thereby dispensing with the manual application ofthe paint; and which may be also employed in dipping slaughtered hogs ina vat of hot water preparatory to dressing them.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved machine of thiskind, which is practically automatic in action, that is to say, asidefrom the presence of an attendant to supply the work or articles to bedipped to the machine to cause the latter to perform the functions ofmoving the work to the vat or receptacle, dipping such articles or workin such receptacle, elevating and discharging the work or dippedarticles with rapidity and accuracy and without necessitating anattendant -to start and stop the machine'at frequent intervals, or atdifferent stages in the procedure, whereby a larger output of finishedwork may be secured in a given time.

l/Vith the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the natureof the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novelconstruction and com bination of parts of a dipping machine, as will behereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts,Figure 1 is a view in front elevation, partly in section, of aportion of the machine constituting the present invention; Fig. 2 is asimilar view with the parts shown in extended position; Fig. 3 is a viewin end elevation, partly in section,

looking from the left hand side of Fig. 1;

' Fig. 4 is an end elevation looking from the left hand side of Fig. 1,and showing the operation of the elevators and of the mechanismconnected therewith; Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the shiftingrod and lever; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the cleats; Fig. 7is a detail side elevation of the mechanism for raising and lowering theelevators; Fig. 8 is a detail top plan view of the same; and Fig. 9 is adetail sectional view of the same.

The framework of the machine comprises two channeled guides or standards1 and 2, which-have their lower ends bolted to a suitable base orflooring, and their fusion in the drawings, but four of these braceplates are herein shown; but it is to be understood that any number maybe employed that will be found necessary or expedient. Each of the beams4 and 5 carries at its terminals, rollers 9 that are designed to engageguideways 10 arranged in the opposed faces of the standards 1 and 2,whereby the frame will be guided vertically in operation and be causedto travel in a determined path. The drop frame is made in the form shownin Fig. 1 to render it more rigid incharacter, and also to adapt it tosupport and coact with certain mechanisms hereinafter described.

Firmly bolted at its upper portion to the cross beam 3, and at a pointintermediate of the ends of the latter, is a guide frame that comprisestwo beams or members 11, the lower ends of which are stayed and renderedrigid by brace bars 12 and 13 bolted or riveted at their lower ends tothe frame member 11 and at their upper ends similarly secured to thebeam 3. The opposed faces of the beams 11 are provided with guideways 14that are engaged by a head 15 constituting a portion of one of theelevators that is described further on.

The apparatus embodies two elevators, one of which, hereinafter termedthe dipping elevator, receives the work, lowers it into the dippingtank, and returns it to a point to be discharged from the apparatus, andthe other of which elevators, which is hereinafter termed the dischargeelevator, elevates the The dipfinished work to an off-take-track. pingelevator comprises a hollow or box track 16, which is rigidly bolted toand supported by the bend 21 of the beam 5, as clearly shownin Fig. 1.The ends of the track are oppositely beveled, as shown at 17 and 18 inFig. 3, and are designed to engage with the similarly beveled end of thebox track 19 of the discharge elevator and with the like end of theon-take track 20. Said on-take track is fixed, and is here shown asslightly inclined and as supported by hangers 20.

While it will generally be preferred to employ the form of track shown,it is to be understoodv that other constructions may be adopted, be itfound necessary or desirable.

As will be obvious, it will be necessary that means be provided wherebyall of the track sections shall be held in accurate alinement to insurethe travel of the trolleys carrying the stock from the on-take track 20to the track 16, and thence to the track 19 by which the latter iselevatedto and discharged onto the fixed off-take track 22, as willpresently appear. This track alining means consists of two invertedV-shaped cleats 23 and 24, Fig. 6, that are firmly bolted to the uppersides of the track sections 16, 19, 20

and 22 at the central line of their meeting ends, and project beyond orslightly overlap the same. As will be'seen by reference to Figs. 3 and4, the cleat 23 is the larger of the pair and is designed to receive theprojecting end of the cleat 24, and thereby hold the track in alinement.Owing to the coaction between the inclined sides of the cleats, thetracks'will be positively forced into alinement when the sections are inoperative position. The trolley referred to above, and which is anexample of one of the many forms that may be employed, consists in thisinstance of four wheels 25 carried by two axles that are rigidly boltedto a pair of frame bars 26, and dependingv from the latter and rigidtherewith is a two armed hanger '27, having hooked terminals 28 toengage and support the article to be dipped. Of these trolleys anydesired number may be employed, it being designed that there shall be acontinuous intermittently moving line passing from the on-taketrack tothe dipping elevator.

As will be noted by reference to Fig. 3, the track sections 16 and 19,when in alinement, are ina horizontal position, while the section 20 isinclined in order to cause the travel of, the trolleys along the trackto be automatic. To prevent interference between two trolleys, and toguard against a trolley running off of the track 20 of a trolley whenthe dipping elevator is lowered, novel means is provided, and also forshifting a loaded trolley from the track section 20 to the section 16;

and further novel means is provided for holding the trolley in properposition on the dipping elevator and shifting the trolley when theelevator resumes its normal or raised position from the track section 16to the section 19.

The mechanism for holding a loaded trolley from passing to the tracksection 16 when the latter is lowered, comprises, in part, an L-shapedlever, that is pivoted at 29 to an arm or bracket 30 secured to thecross beam 3. The upper or short arm 31 of the lever, which occupies asubstantially horizontal plane, carries an adjustable weight 32, andthe'long arm 33 of the lever carries'at its lower end a cam or shoe 34which is connected with the arm 33 by an angular extension 35. Thenormal position of the cam 34 is such that it will lie in the path ofthe hanger of a trolley on the track section 20, and thus hold itagainst movement. In order to shift the cam out of the path of thetrolley, there is provided a shaft 36 that is j ournaled'in the lowerdepending ends 37 of a pair of bars 38, the upper ends ofwhich arefirmly bolted to the beam 4 of the verticallymovable skeleton frame, andtheir lower portions to the beam 5 thereof adjacent to the bend 21.Thence the bars are bent outward and occupy a horizontal position, asshown at 39 in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, and thence bent downward at rightangles to the portions39 to present the bearings 37. adapted for rotaryand longitudinally reciprocatory motions, the first motion operatingthrough actuation of certain mechanism to shift the cam 34 out of thepath of the hanger, and the second motion to shift the trolley from thetrack section 20 on to the section 16. The first motion, that ofshifting the cam 34, is accomplished by a finger 40 that is carried bythe intermediate portion of an arm 41 that is provided with two spacedcollars 42, carrying set screws by which it is rigidly clamped upon theshaft. In addition to the finger 40, the arm carries adjacent to itsouter extremity a similar finger 43, the function of which will appearfurther on.

3.6 for thepurpose of causing the finger 40 to This shaft is shift thecam 34 by a series of levers 44, 45

and 46. The lever 44 is provided with a collar 47 splined to the shaft36, and the shaft is provided with a key way 48 that is en gaged by afeather key 49 in the collar 47 whereby it Will be seen that the lever44 Will be free to slide longitudinally along the shaft 36, but will beheld against turning thereon.

The outer end of the lever 44 is provided with a longitudinal slot 50that is engaged by a pin or bolt 51 carried by the lever 45, V

which latter is fulcrumed or pivoted intermediate of its ends at 52 tothe beam 5. The upper end of the lever 45 is pivotally connected at 53to the rear end of the lever 46,

the forward end of which carries a bolt 54 upon which is mounted aroller that works in a slotted track 55 that is secured to the standard2, the upper portion 56 of which is disposed obliquely to the standard2, while the remaining portion is arranged parallel therewith andextends to the bottom thereof. This track consists of two bars of metalthat are held properly spaced apart by clamps 57 and 58, suitably spacedapart, the latter clamps being bolted to the standard 2. In order tocause the roller of the lever 46 to travel in the track slot 59, thebrace plate 8 is provided with two spaced bolts or pins 60, betweenwhich the upper end of the lever 46 projects, as clearly shown in Figs.1 and 2. To reduce the friction between the pins and the lever to aminimum, the latter is preferably provided with rollers, as shown.

Now, it will beseen that when the recipro cating frame descends, theroller of the lever 46 will be compelled to travel down the inclinedportion of the track slot, and this will exert an outward pull upon thelever 46, thereby rocking or drawing the upper end of the lever 45 tothe right and projecting its lower end to the left, whereupon the bolt51, by riding in the slot 50, will force the lever 44 upward and therebyimpart a rotary motion to the shaft 36, which will cause the finger 40to assume an angular position, and out of contact with the cam 34, whichcam will now bridge the space through which the trolley moves, and thushold a loaded trolley against escaping or running off the track 20, asshown in Fig. 2. Upon the return movement of the dipping elevator, assoon as the roller on the lever 46 enters the inclined portion of thetrack slot, the levers 46, 45 and 44 will be actuated in a reversedirection to that above described, causing the finger 40 to assume ahorizontal position, and in so doing, by contacting with the cam 34,force it to one side and out of the path of travel of the trolley. Thearm 33 is guided for movements to and from the'track section 20 by guidearms 61 carried by the track section 20, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and2. The finger 43 on the arm 41 is now in the rear of the hanger, andoperates to transfer the trolley from the track section 20 to thesection 16. This shifting movement of the finger 43 is secured byimparting longitudinal movement to the shaft 36, and this isaccomplished by the employment of a lever 62, which, as shown in Figs.1, 2 and 3, is curved, and extends at its lower end through an arm 63,that is loose on the shaft, being provided with a collar for thispurpose. The upper end of the lever 62 is secured to a shaft 64,supported in a hanger 65 depending from the beam 4 and in a bearing 66carried by the brace plate 8*. The outer end of the shaft has secured toit an arm 67 carrying a roller 68, that is designed to travel on aspring 69 secured to a fixed hanger 70, bolted to the under side of thefixed beam 3. As shown in Fig. 3 the spring is provided with a shoulder71 which is provided for the purpose of permitting the roller to passfrom the rear side of the spring to the front side thereof, as on thedownward movement of the skeleton frame, the roller will travel on theoutside of the spring, and on the upward movement of the frame upon theinside thereof. The shifting of the roller to the outside of the springis secured by a weight 72 carried by an arm 73, rigid with and forming acontinuation of the arm 67, as shown in Fig. 3. It will be noted thatboth of the weights 32 and 72 are movable on their supporting arms,thereby to permit any adjustments that may be necessary to secure thedesired result. Now, it will be seen that so long as the roller 68travels on the inner side of thespring 69, that the shaft 36 will occupythe position shown in Fig. 3, but as soon as the roller reaches theshoulder 71, the weight 72 will exert its energy and rock the shaft 64and cause the lever 62 to move to the left, thereby shifting the shaft36 and causing the finger 43 to carry with it the trolley on to thetrack section 16. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 3, that the cam34 is of such width that before the finger 40 passed from off the cam,that the finger 43 passes on to the same, so that there will be nodanger of the cam interfering with the proper opera tion of the shaft.The shaft will remain in its shifted position until the roller passesaround the lower end of the spring and against its inner face,whereupon, on the upward movement of the dipping elevator, the shaftwill be shifted back to its normal position.

In order to shift the trolley that has just been dipped from the tracksection 16 onto the section 19, there is a finger 74 provided which isrigid with a collar 75, keyed to the shaft 36. When the shaft 36 isshifted in the manner above described, to transfer a loaded trolley onto the section 16, the finger 74 contacts with the hanger of the trolleyjust elevated and shifts iton to the section 19, thereby leaving thesection 16 clear to receive the freshly loaded trolley. As above stated,there is means provided, for holding a trolley in the proper positionupon the dipping elevator, while the same is ascending and descending.'This means comprises a lever 76 that is fulcrumed upon a bracket 77,rigid with the bend 21 of the beam 5, and carries two fingers 78 and 79(Fig. 3,) that are adapted to straddle the hanger, as shown, and thussecure the object sought. These fingers are moved into and out ofposition relatively to the hanger by a lever 80, one end of which ispivoted to the lever 76, and the other end pivoted to one end of a lever81 fulcrumed at 82 on the beam 5, the

other end of the lever 81 being provided with a crotch 83 that straddlesa pin or stud 84 carried by the lever 46. ment, it will be seen thatwhen the lever 46 is actuated in the manner described, it will draw theupper end of the lever 81 to the right and push its lower end to theleft, thereby exerting a thrust upon the lever 80 which will betransmitted to the lever 76 and cause its lower end to move to theright, thereby projecting the pins into operative engagement relativelyto the hanger of the trolley that is upon the section 16.

The discharge elevator, to which reference has been made, comprises thehead 15, which as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, is provided with two lateralextensions 85 that .work in the guideways 14, the lower end of the headbeing provided with a yoke 86 that straddles the track section 16, asclearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4. To the lower end of the yoke arms arerigidly connected two bars 87, the outer ends of which are secured bybolts 88 to the section 19, said. bolts forming fulcrums or pivots uponwhich the said section may turn through a limited. arc. Connected withthe bars 87 and held assembled at one end thereof by the bolts 88, aretwo brace bars 89, the upper ends of which are bolted at 90, on oppositesides of the head 15, these bars 89 serving to support the outer end ofthe track section 19.

Vertical motion is imparted to the head 15 by means of a cam 91 carriedby one end of a lever 92 fulcrumed at 93 on one of the fixed beams 11,the outer end of the lever having ivotally connected with it, one end ofa lin; 93?, the other end of which is fulcrumed at 94 upon the beam 5.Secured to the head 15 is a roller 95 that is adapted to bear upon thecam 91, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It will be seen from thisarrangement that when the skeleton frame be gins to descend, the camwill be thrown upward by reason of the draft exerted upon the lever 92,by the link 93 thereby causing the head 15 to be lifted, and with it thetrack section 19, which will be raised until it alines with the off-taketrack 22, whereupon the trolley carried by the section 19 will bedischarged upon the return movement of the skeleton frame, and the headwill again resume its normal'position.

In order to prevent a trolley from running off the section 19, there isa stop device which comprises a lever 96 pivotally connected with one ofthe bars 89. One end of the lever is provided with a toe 97 that extendsdown into the track section 19 and in the path of the trolley, thus tohold it from running off the track section, the other end of the leverbeing borne up by a spring 98 carried by a stud or post 99 secured tosaid track section. Said track section also carries a standard 100,having a hooked end From this arrange- 1 which is designed to enga ewith a hooked catch 101 carried by one o' the bars 89. It will be seenfrom this arrangement that when the section 19 is elevated, and itsbeveled end contacts with the end of the off-take track 22, the rear endof the section 19 will be tilted, thereby moving its forward enddownwardrelative to the lever 96 and causin the toe 97 of the latter tobe moved out 0% the path of the trolley, which will then be dischargedupon the ofi-take track, and upon the track 19 resuming its normalposition, the hooked members 100 and 101 will engage with each other andthereby prevent the track 19' from dropping too far, the spring 98 whichis compressed during tilting of the section 19 serves to cushion thedescent of the section, and to cause it to reshown in Fig. 9, the rim102 of the cam.

wheel is T-shaped, and is engaged on its ini ner face by rollers 113,carried by a casting 115, that is mounted upon a beam 116 that ismounted upon a bracket 114 on the frame 104, the casting 11.5 havingcombined with it a roller or wheel 117, to bear against the periphery ofthe cam, and thus hold the rollers 113 in operative relation thereto.Pivoted to the casting 115 is one end of a rock arm 118, the other endof which carries, a cam head 119, the head being supported by a shaft120, that works in a slotted bearing 121, bolted to the base of theframe 104. The cam head is provided with an off-set 122 through whichprojects a bolt 123, having at one end an eye 124 to which is attachedthe hoisting or operating rope 125, the object of the rocking leverbeing to keep the rope under requisite tension and also to permit itsrapid feeding out upon the descent of the clipping elevator.

The outer end of the lever carries a shackle 126 between the arms ofwhich is mounted a grooved sheave 127. passes around the cam head 119 upalong the under side of the lever 116, then down and around a sheave 128secured to the floor, thence up and around two overhead sheaves 129,secured above the apparatus, and its free end is secured in an eye 130,carried by a bracket 131, bolted to the beam 4. It will be seen thatwhen the dipping elevator is in its raised position that the roller 117will bear upon the bellied portion of the cam, and

The hoisting rope manner, and with rapidity, and further, that then asthe cam revolves and approaches the flatter portion of the cam, that thebeam or lever 116 will be depressed, thereby paying out the rope 125 andpermitting the dipping elevator to approach the dipping tank 132.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that by arranging themechanism as herein described, that the proper feeding, dipping, anddischarging of the articles will be accomplished in a thoroughlypractical the necessity of numerous attendants to secure the properoperation of the machine is rendered entirely unnecessary.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters-Patent, is,-

1. In a dipping machine, in combination with a frame of an ontake tracksustained thereby and an offtake track, a clipping elevator to receivethe work from the ontake track, a discharge elevator to receive thedipped work from the dipping elevator and convey the same to the offtaketrack, each of said elevators'having a track section, a work-supportingtrolley to pass from the ontake track to the offtake track section ofthe dip ing elevator, from said track section of sai elevator to that ofthe discharge elevator, and from the track section of the dischargeelevator to the offtake track, means to operate said elevators, andmeans to control the passage of the work-supporting trolley with respectto the said tracks and elevators.

2. In a dipping machine, the combination of a frame an inclined ontaketrack sustained thereby, a work-engaging trolley to operate on the sameby gravity, an inclined oiftake track mounted in the frame, a dippingelevator to receive the said trolley from said ontake track, a dischargeelevator having a tilting track, means to operate said eleva' tors,means actuated by the movement of the dipping elevator to cause the saidtrolley to pass from the ontake track to the dipping elevator, andsubsequently from the latter to the tilting track of the dischargeelevator, means to tilt the track of the said discharge elevator whensaid track alines with the offtake track and cause said trolley to passby gravity from said tilting track to said offtake track and means forcontrolling the passage of the trolley between the said tracks andelevators.

3. In a dipping machine,'the combination of a frame a dipping elevatormounted there in, a discharge elevator, means to operate said dippingelevator, and a cam lever, operated by the dipping elevator to operatesaid discharge elevator.

4. In a dipping machine, the combination of a frame an inclined ontaketrack sustained therein, a work-carrying trolley to operate on the sameby gravity, an inclined offtake track, a dipping elevator to receive thesaid trolley fIOIIlSELld ontake. track, a discharge elevator having atilting track, means to operate said elevators, means actuated by themovement of the dipping elevator to cause the said trolley to pass fromthe ontake track to the clipping elevator and subsequently from thelatter to the tilting track of the discharge elevator, means to tilt thetrack of the said discharge elevator when said track alines with theofftake track and cause said trolley to pass by gravity from saidtilting track to said oiftake track, and means coacting with saidtilting track to retain the trolley on the latter until said tiltingtrack alines with the offtake track and to release said trolley whensaid tilting track is tilted, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM M. TULLEY.

Witnesses:

ANNA DREITZLER, J .W. FUDGE.

